Fusible non-woven fibrous web

ABSTRACT

A fusible non-woven fibrous web for a quilt batt. The fusible non-woven fibrous web includes a non-woven fibrous web and a heat sealable and releasable adhesive. The adhesive is coated on the outer surface of the web and insinuates between the fibers of the web internally. The adhesive thus binds the fibers of the web and provides a tackiness sufficient to allow the web to be applied to, removed from, and reapplied to a backing material on other fabric.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates generally to a non-woven fibrousweb and in particular to a web including an adhesive such that the webcan be applied to, removed from, and reapplied to a backing material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Non-woven fibrous webs are used as a component of quilts. In theprocess of making a quilt, at least three component layers are typicallyplaced together: (1) a pieced top fabric, (2) a batt, and (3) a backing.The batt is the layer that provides loft to the quilt and is locatedbetween the top fabric and the backing. The batt is a non-woven fibrousweb and typically includes cotton, polyester, or a combination of cottonand polyester. Additionally, the batt may be made of other fibers, suchas wool or rayon.

[0003] As described above, the non-woven web of the batt is positionedbetween the top fabric and the backing of the quilt. The top fabricand/or the backing are then affixed to the batt in order to aid incompleting the quilt. For example, pieces of top fabric includingpatterns for the quilt may be attached to the batt in order that one maydraw or cut around the pattern. Additionally, finished patterns may betemporarily positioned on the batt by various methods and subsequentlypermanently affixed thereto by intricate stitching. Prior to the finalintricate stitching, the backing material, the non-woven web of the battand the top fabric are mechanically bonded together. This mechanicalbonding process is known as basting. Some methods of basting includepins, large stitches, and plastic tabs. However, these current methodsof basting suffer from several drawbacks.

[0004] First, pins are difficult to use in that they are unwieldy andtheir use is time consuming. For example, should a pattern beincorrectly placed on and pinned to the non-woven fibrous web of thebatt, any removal and replacement of the pattern requires the removaland replacement of all pins. Not only is this a time consuming processbut the handling of pins can result in a user sticking and injuringhimself or herself. Second, large stitches also suffer the drawback ofbeing time consuming due to their relative permanence as a method offixation. For example, should a pattern be incorrectly placed andstitched to the non-woven web, any correction requires cutting away andremoving the large stitches, repositioning the pattern, and reaffixingby stitching. Third, plastic tabs also suffer many of the same drawbacksdue to their relative permanence in fixation. These plastic tabs aregenerally applied by a tab gun which directs the tab through the backingmaterial, batt, and top fabric. Like pins and large stitches, anyrepositioning of fabric requires the removal and replacement of theplastic tabs.

[0005] Other methods of affixation have been developed which do notrelatively permanently affix the adjacent surfaces of batt and fabric.However, these methods suffer from other drawbacks. An example of onesuch method is the use of weights. In this method, a top fabric will bepositioned on top of the batt and held in place by weights. Although theweights are not as time consuming or unwieldy to remove and replace aspins or large stitches, there remain several drawbacks associated withtheir use. First, since the weight system does not directly fix thepattern to the backing material, the pattern may easily shift duringuse. Second, it is very difficult to cut around patterns upon whichweights have been placed, because any movement of the material or theweights may cause the pattern to shift.

[0006] It is clear that current methods of affixing top fabrics, batts,and backing materials one to another to form a quilt suffer from manydrawbacks. Thus, it would be desirable to have a non-woven fibrous webfor a batt that sufficiently adheres to a material backing or fabricpatterns without the time consuming problems inherent in pin placementor other methods of basting. Additionally, it would be desirable forsuch a non-woven web to be easily separated from the backing material orfabric patterns in the event of incorrect placement. Finally, it wouldbe desirable for the non-woven web to easily be readhered to thesurrounding fabric following repositioning.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The present invention provides a fusible non-woven fibrous web tobe used as a component of a batt for a quilt. This fusible non-wovenfibrous web eliminates the drawbacks of batts of the prior art asdeveloped in the background of the invention. In particular, the presentinvention provides a non-woven fibrous web having a heat sealable andreleasable adhesive disposed in the web and on at least one outersurface of the web. Generally, the adhesive will be disposed on both theupper and lower outer surfaces of the web. This adhesive thus both bindsthe fibers of the web and provides a tackiness sufficient to allow theweb to be applied to, removed from, and reapplied to an adjacentmaterial, such as a backing material or other fabric, by the applicationof heat and pressure.

[0008] In use, the fusible non-woven fibrous web of the presentinvention is placed adjacent to a backing material in a position suchthat the adhesive on the lower surface of the web contacts a confrontingsurface of the backing material. Additionally, patterns of top fabricfor a quilt may be positioned adjacent to adhesive on the upper surfaceof the web. After positioning the web relative to these adjacentmaterials, heat and pressure are applied. This softens the adhesive andbinds the web to the backing material and/or top fabric. Heat andpressure may be applied by an iron or other method readily apparent tothose skilled in the art. Upon cooling, the web and any adjacentmaterial are substantially semi-permanently affixed one to another.

[0009] As previously described, the heat-sealable and releasableadhesive is of such a composition that the fusible non-woven fibrous webmay be separated from the backing material and/or top fabric by peelingapart. The use of heat hastens the process by once again softening theadhesive and allowing the backing material and/or top fabric to beremoved from the non-woven web in the event that the backing materialand/or top fabric was initially misplaced relative to the web. Afterremoval, the backing material and/or top fabric may be correctlyrepositioned adjacent to the web and substantially semi-permanentlyaffixed thereto by the application of heat and pressure. In analternative embodiment, the adhesive may be disposed on only one surfaceof the non-woven fibrous web so that the web may be adhered to either abacking material or a piece of top fabric on that one side of the web.

[0010] With the fusible non-woven fibrous web of the present invention,one may affix the web to a top fabric and/or backing material of a quiltwhile eliminating the time consuming and tedious basting methods of theprior art. The present invention also provides a web which allows theattached fabrics to be easily repositioned if the web or other fabricwas initially misplaced. These and other advantages of the presentinvention will be apparent from the description thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in andconstitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of theinvention and, together with the general description of the inventiongiven above and the detailed description of the embodiments given below,serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fusible non-woven fibrous webin accordance with the principles of the present invention depicting asingle layer of fibers coated with adhesive on both the upper and lowersurface thereof;

[0013] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a fusible non-woven fibrous webin accordance with the principles of the present invention depicting asingle layer of fibers coated with adhesive on the upper surfacethereof;

[0014] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a fusible non-woven fibrous webin accordance with the principles of the present invention depictingmultiple layers of fibers coated with adhesive on the upper surfacethereof;

[0015] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a fusible non-woven fibrous webin accordance with the principles of the present invention depictingmultiple layers of fibers coated with adhesive on both the upper andlower surface thereof;

[0016] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the component layers of a quiltdepicting a top fabric and a backing material adhered to the fusiblenon-woven fibrous web of FIG. 1; and

[0017] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of thecomponent layers of a quilt depicting a top fabric and a backingmaterial adhered to the fusible non-woven fibrous web of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Referring to the figures, and in particular to FIG. 1, thepresent invention provides a fusible non-woven fibrous web 10 inaccordance with the principles of the present invention. The non-wovenweb 10 includes a heat-sealable and releasable adhesive 12 which isdisposed in the fibers of the web 10 and on at least one surface of theweb 10. The portion of the adhesive 12 that is insinuated into the web10 binds the fibers of the web 10 in order to keep the web 10 intact.Additionally, the portion of the heat sealable and releasable adhesive12 that is located on the outer surface of the web 10 provides atackiness sufficient to allow the web 10 to be applied to, removed from,and reapplied to an adjacent surface. In a quilt, the adjacent surfacemay be located on a backing material 14 or top fabric 16. By allowingfor bonding of these fabrics with a heat-sealable and releasableadhesive 12, the present invention overcomes the problems discussed inthe background of the invention by eliminating the need for mechanicallybonding the top fabric 16, web 10, and backing material 14 together bycurrently used methods of basting.

[0019] The fusible non-woven fibrous web 10 of the present inventionincludes any fibers known to those skilled in the art for formingnon-woven webs 10 that are flexible and can provide loft. Morespecifically, in particular embodiments of the present invention thefibers of the fusible non-woven fibrous web 10 are selected from cotton,polyester, rayon, and wool, or any combination of those materials. Thefibers may be carded into a single layer or, alternatively, may beairblown into a single layer. In other embodiments of the invention,multiple layers may be carded and/or airblown and subsequently placedone on top of another to produce a multilayered non-woven fibrous web.Following its formation, the non-woven web 10 is substantially flat,having an upper surface 18 of relatively large surface area and a lowersurface 20 of relatively large surface area.

[0020] A heat sealable and releasable adhesive 12 is disposed on atleast one of the upper and lower surfaces 18,20 of the non-woven web 10.As the adhesive 12 is applied to the web 10 by any method known to thoseskilled in the art, at least a portion of the adhesive 12 insinuatesinto and between the individual fibers of the web 10. In doing so, theadhesive 12 binds the fibers one to another to keep the non-woven web 10intact. The coating of adhesive 12 disposed on the surface of the web 10allows the web 10 to be affixed to an adjacent surface. Followingapplication of the adhesive 12 to the web 10, the adhesive 12 remainssubstantially in the web 10 during removal of the web 10 from andreapplication of the web 10 to the surface of an adjacent material. Theadhesive 12 used in the present invention is a thermoplastic and, morespecifically, is an acrylic, vinyl acrylic, vinyl acetate, or ethylenevinyl acetate. More particularly, the heat-sealable and releasableadhesive 12 may be selected from but is not limited to the following:Reichold Elvace 40722 (ethylene vinyl acetate), National Starch 25-4401(ethylene vinyl acetate), Parachem AC 786 (acrylic), Parachem AC 777(acrylic), Parachem VA 928 (vinyl acetate), Rohm & Haas B-15 (acrylic),Rohm & Haas 3270 (acrylic), or Rohm & Haas Rovene 438 (vinyl acrylic).These adhesives may include other copolymerizable components such asitaconic acid or other similar acids. Either one adhesive 12 or variouscombinations of adhesives 12 may be used in order to achieve a tackinessthat is aggressive enough to bond the fibers of the non-woven web 10together and to hold the various fibers and layers of the non-woven web10 intact. At the same time, the tackiness should not be overlyaggressive such that a top fabric 16 or backing material 14 cannot beseparated from web 10 following their affixation one to another, or suchthat the web 10 cannot be effectively unrolled after packaging andshipping. In one particular embodiment of the present invention, theheat-sealable and releasable binder disposed in and on the non-wovenfibrous web 10 is Parachem AC 786 (acrylic).

[0021] There is also provided a method of making the fusible non-wovenfibrous web 10 of the present invention. Referring now to FIG. 2, bythis method, the fibers that will comprise a first embodiment of thenon-woven web 10 are carded. Next, the heat sealable and releasableadhesive 12 is applied to the upper surface 18 of the web 10. Thisapplication of adhesive 12 may be accomplished by any method known tothose skilled in the art. Examples of such methods include glazing,print bonding, and spray bonding. As the adhesive 12 is applied to theweb 10, a certain amount flows into and becomes insinuated within andbetween the fibers of the web 10, thereby holding the web 10 together.The remainder of the adhesive 12 coats the upper surface 18 of the web10 to provide the tackiness that allows the web 10 to be adhered to anadjacent surface, such as a backing material 14 or top fabric 16.

[0022] Referring once again to FIG. 1, in a second embodiment of thefusible non-woven fibrous web 10 of the present invention, theindividual fibers of the web 10 are carded as a single layer. Next, theheat sealable and releasable adhesive 12 is applied to both the uppersurface 18 and the lower surface 20 of the web. This application ofadhesive 12 may be accomplished by glazing, print bonding, spraybonding, or any other method known to those skilled in the art. Duringapplication, a certain amount of the adhesive 12 insinuates between thefibers of the web 10, to bind those fibers one to another. The remainderof the adhesive 12 coats the upper and lower surfaces 18,20 of the web10. This allows the web 10 to be adhered to adjacent surfaces on bothsides of the web 10, such as a backing material 14 and a top fabric 16.

[0023] Referring now to FIG. 3, in a third embodiment of the presentinvention, multiple layers of fibers may be carded or air-laid, andsubsequently layered on top of one another to form the non-woven web 10.Next, the heat sealable and releasable adhesive 12 is applied to theupper surface 18 of the web 10. This application of adhesive 12 may beaccomplished by glazing, print bonding, spray bonding, or any othermethod known to those skilled in the art. During application, a certainamount of the adhesive 12 insinuates between the fibers of each layer ofthe web 10. The adhesive 12 thus binds the individual fibers of eachlayer one to another, and binds the multiple layers together. Theremainder of the adhesive 12 coats the upper surface 18 of the web 10 toprovide the tackiness that allows the web 10 to be adhered to anadjacent surface, such as a backing material 14 or top fabric 16.

[0024] More specifically, in this third embodiment of the presentinvention, a fiber blend of 50% cotton/50% polyester is provided. Thisfiber blend is first carded on a carding machine. Next, additional webs10 of 50% cotton/50% polyester are carded. These multiple webs 10 arethen laid on a conveyor belt. The total fiber weight of these multiplelayers of polyester/cotton fiber blend is approximately 2.12 ounces persquare yard. The upper surface 18 of the non-woven fibrous web 10 isthen “glazed” with the heat-sealable and releasable adhesive 12. Theparticular adhesive 12 used in this embodiment is Parachem AC 786(acrylic) that has been diluted with water to a final composition ofapproximately 6.67 percent solids. Following cooling the dry weight ofthe heat sealable and releasable adhesive 12 on the upper surface 18 ofthe non-woven web 10 is approximately 0.14 ounce per square yard.

[0025] As described above, the particular method by which theheat-sealable and releasable adhesive 12 is applied to the non-woven web10 is by glazing. In the web 10 of the above described embodiment,Parachem AC 786 acrylic is transferred from a bath, up a roll and ontothe upper surface 18 of the web 10. This transfer is achieved by surfacetension. As the adhesive 12 is applied to the web 10, the majority ofthe adhesive 12 remains on the upper surface 18 of the non-woven web 10.This creates a smooth facing of the adhesive 12 on the upper surface 18of the web 10. The adhesive 12 provides the web 10 with its fusibleproperties which allows a user to be able to affix the non-woven web 10to a top fabric 16. During the glazing process, a small amount of theheat-sealable and releasable adhesive 12 flows into the web 10structure. This has the added effect of bonding the fibers of the web 10one to another and bonding multiple layers of fibers one to anotherinternally.

[0026] After application of the heat-sealable and releasable adhesive 12to the upper surface 18 of the non-woven fibrous web 10 by glazing, theweb 10 including adhesive 12 is passed through an oven in order to heatset the adhesive 12. This oven is held at a temperature range ofapproximately 210° F. to 260° F. The heat provided by the oven drivesany water off the non-woven fibrous web 10 and cures the polymer of theheat-sealable and releasable adhesive 12 to and in the non-woven web 10.Referring now to FIG. 4, in a fourth embodiment of the fusible non-wovenfibrous web 10 of the present invention, the lower surface 20 of thenon-woven web 10 of the above described third embodiment may also becoated with the heat-sealable and releasable adhesive 12 by the processof glazing. This glazing process is performed in the same manner asdescribed above for the upper surface 18 of the non-woven web 10. Thus,the total dry weight of the heat sealable and releasable adhesive 12 onboth sides of the web 10 will be approximately 0.28 ounces per squareyard. After both sides of the web 10 have been glazed and heat set in anoven, the finished web 10 is then rolled and packaged. The total weightof the web 10 is approximately 2.40 ounces per square yard.

[0027] In other alternate embodiments of the present invention, the webs10 may be made of other materials, including but not limited to cotton,polyester, rayon, nylon, and/or wool, or combinations of these fibers.Additionally, the component fibers of the webs 10 may be air laid, andmultiple webs 10 may be air laid one on top of the other. Further, theheat-sealable and releasable adhesive 12 may be applied by any methodknown to those skilled in the art such as by spraying, by saturating theentire web 10 and allowing migration of the adhesive 12 during drying orby applying foamed liquid latex to the surfaces of the web 10 andapplying a vacuum to pull a minimal amount of the foamed latex into theweb 10 structure to allow for the internal binding of the fibers.Finally, one may use other methods known to those skilled in the art tofirst bond the fibers of the web 10 together and subsequently apply aheat-sealable and releasable adhesive 12 to at least one outer surfaceof the web 10.

[0028] In use, and referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, the fusible non-wovenfibrous web 10 of the present invention eliminates the above-describedtime-consuming methods of basting a quilt. First, the non-woven web 10is unrolled and/or unfolded to a single layer and cut to the desiredsize to fit the backing material 14 and/or top fabric 16. In thisembodiment, adhesive 12 is disposed on both the upper and lower surfaces18,20 of the non-woven web 10. The non-woven web 10 is then placed overthe quilt backing material 14 with the lower surface 20 of the non-wovenweb 10 confronting the backing material 14. Next, patterns of top fabric16 for a quilt are positioned over the upper surface 18 of the non-wovenweb 10. Heat and pressure are then applied to the top fabric 16,non-woven web 10, and backing material 14. This application of heat andpressure causes the adhesive 12 to soften and become more tacky, therebyadhering the non-woven web 10 to both the top fabric 16 and the backingmaterial 14. Heat and pressure may be applied by any method, but isgenerally accomplished by the use of a steam iron.

[0029] If the top fabric 16 or backing material 14 is inadvertentlymisplaced on the web 10, the adjoining components can be separated onefrom another and reapplied in the correct position. This can beaccomplished by peeling apart the web 10 and top fabric 16. The use ofheat will hasten the process as the adhesive softens and regains itstackiness. As the temperature of the heat-sealable and releasableadhesive 12 increases, the adhesive 12 softens and regains itstackiness. This allows the top fabric 16 or backing material 14 to bepeeled away from the non-woven web 10. The top fabric 16 and/or backingmaterial 14 can then be repositioned and heat and pressure reapplied tothe top fabric 16 and web 10 in order to once again affix the adjacentcomponents one to another.

[0030] While the present invention has been illustrated by thedescription of various embodiments thereof, and while these embodimentshave been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention ofthe Applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appendedclaims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications willreadily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broaderaspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representativesystem and method, and illustrative example shown and described.Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departingfrom the spirit or scope of Applicant's general inventive concept.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fusible non-woven fibrous web comprising: anon-woven fibrous web; and a heat sealable and releasable adhesive insaid web, wherein said adhesive binds the fibers of the web and providesa tackiness sufficient to allow said web to be applied to, removed from,and reapplied to an adjacent material.
 2. The web of claim 1 whereinsaid adhesive remains substantially in said web during removal of theweb from and reapplication of the web to said adjacent material.
 3. Theweb of claim 1 wherein said adhesive includes a thermoplastic.
 4. Theweb of claim 3 wherein said adhesive is selected from the groupconsisting of an acrylic, a vinyl acrylic, a vinyl acetate, and anethylene vinyl acetate.
 5. The web of claim 3 wherein said adhesivefurther includes itaconic acid.
 6. The web of claim 1 wherein said webincludes fiber selected from the group consisting of cotton, polyester,rayon, nylon and wool.
 7. The web of claim 1 wherein said web includescotton and a polyester.
 8. A fusible quilt web comprising: a non-wovenfibrous web; and a heat sealable and releasable adhesive in said web,wherein said adhesive binds the fibers of the web and provides atackiness sufficient to allow said web to be applied to, removed from,and reapplied to an adjacent material.
 9. A method of using a non-wovenfibrous web, said method comprising: providing a web comprising anon-woven fibrous web and a heat sealable and releasable adhesive insaid web, wherein said adhesive binds the fibers of the web and providesa tackiness sufficient to allow said web to be applied to, removed from,and reapplied to an adjacent material; placing said web over saidadjacent material such that said adhesive confronts a surface of saidadjacent material; and applying heat and pressure to said web, wherebysaid adhesive releasably binds said web to said adjacent material. 10.The method of claim 9 further comprising removing the web from saidadjacent material.
 11. The method of claim 10 further comprisingrepositioning said web with said adhesive confronting said backingmaterial and applying heat and pressure to said web.
 12. A method ofusing a web in the making of a quilt, said method comprising: providinga fusible quilt web comprising a non-woven fibrous web and a heatsealable and releasable adhesive in said web, wherein said adhesivebinds the fibers of the web and provides a tackiness sufficient to allowsaid web to be applied to, removed from, and reapplied to an adjacentmaterial; placing said web over said adjacent material such that saidadhesive confronts a surface of said adjacent material; and applyingheat and pressure to said web, whereby said adhesive releasably bindssaid web to said adjacent material.
 13. A method of making a fusiblenon-woven fibrous web, said method comprising: providing at least onenon-woven fibrous web; and applying a heat sealable and releasableadhesive to said web by a method selected from the group consisting ofglazing, print bonding, and spray bonding; whereby said adhesive bindsthe fibers of the web and provides a tackiness sufficient to allow saidweb to be applied to, removed from, and reapplied to an adjacentmaterial.
 14. The method of claim 13 wherein said at least one non-wovenfibrous web is carded.
 15. The method of claim 13 wherein said methodfor applying said heat sealable and releasable adhesive to saidnon-woven fibrous web is glazing.
 16. The method of claim 15 whereinsaid glazing comprises the step of applying said heat sealable andreleasable adhesive to a first side of said non-woven fibrous web. 17.The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of curing said heatsealable and releasable adhesive on said first side of said non-wovenfibrous web.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of curing saidheat sealable and releasable adhesive further comprises heating saidnon-woven fibrous web and said heat sealable and releasable adhesive toa temperature in the range of 210 degrees F. to 260 degrees F.
 19. Themethod of claim 18 further comprising the step of applying said heatsealable and releasable adhesive to a second side of said non-wovenfibrous web.
 20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step ofcuring said heat sealable and releasable adhesive on said second side ofsaid non-woven fibrous web.
 21. The method of claim 20 wherein the stepof curing said heat sealable and releasable adhesive further comprisesheating said non-woven fibrous web and said heat sealable and releasableadhesive to a temperature in the range of 210 degrees F. to 260 degreesF.
 22. A method of making a fusible quilt web, said method comprising:providing at least one non-woven fibrous web; and applying a heatsealable and releasable adhesive to said web by a method selected fromthe group consisting of glazing, print bonding, and spray bonding;whereby said adhesive binds the fibers of the web and provides atackiness sufficient to allow said web to be applied to, removed from,and reapplied to an adjacent material.